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Abstract:

A sugar cane chain piler includes a plurality of endless roller chains
that are supported so as to define a forwardly curved profile. A head
shaft supports a plurality of transversely spaced sprockets at top region
of the piler which are aligned with a plurality of sprockets carried by a
tail shaft located at a lower region of the piler. Each endless chain
includes a plurality of conveyor tines that project outwardly from the
chain. The head shaft is driven so that the tines engage cane stalks by
rolling the stalks backwards into a pile being created as the loader
vehicle carrying the piler is driven forward.

Claims:

1. A sugar cane chain piler assembly, comprising: a piler frame supporting
at least first and second chain piler units respectively including first
and second chain support structures that are spaced transversely from
each other so as to define a piler pocket between them; first and second
horizontal, transversely extending head shafts being respectively mounted
to upper regions of said first and second chain support structures; first
and second horizontal, transversely extending tail shafts being
respectively mounted to lower regions of said first and second frame
sections; at least a first pair of sprockets being mounted, one each to
each of said first head shaft and said first tail shaft so as to be in
alignment with each other, and at least a second pair of sprockets being
mounted, one each to each of said second head shaft and said second tail
shaft so as to be in alignment with each other; first and second endless
roller chains being respectively trained about said first and second
pairs of sprockets; each chain supporting a plurality of outwardly
projecting conveyor teeth; a drive assembly being coupled to said first
and second head shafts; and first and second chain guide assemblies
respectively being carried said first and second chain support structures
and respectively associated with said first and second endless chains
such that a forward run includes at least an upper portion which has a
forwardly extending component, whereby said conveyor teeth act to cause
cane stalks to be rolled forwardly onto a pile of cane being formed
during forward movement of said piler assembly along a windrow of
wholestalk sugar cane.

2. The sugar cane piler assembly, as defined in claim 1, wherein said
first and second chain support structures each include a forwardly curved
edge; and said first and second chain guide assemblies respectively
supporting said forward runs of said first and second chains so that said
first and second runs operate along respective paths extending parallel
to said forwardly curved edge of said first and second chain support
structures.

3. The sugar cane piler assembly, as defined in claim 2, wherein said
forwardly curved edge of each of said first and second chain support
structures is generally C-shaped, as viewed from a right-hand side of the
piler assembly.

4. The sugar cane piler assembly, as defined in claim 1, wherein said
first and second head shafts are respective output shafts of first and
second motors.

5. The sugar cane piler assembly, as defined in claim 4, wherein said
first and second motors are respectively mounted for movement toward and
away form said first and second tail shafts for adjusting the tension in
said first and second chains; and first and second extensible and
retractable actuators respectively being coupled to said first and second
motors and to said first and second chain support structures for
respectively adjusting the tension in said first and second chains.

6. The sugar cane piler assembly, as defined in claim 1, wherein said
first and second chain piler units are elevated above a ground surface
when the piler assembly is in a working position; and a push lifter being
mounted to said frame in a location between said first and second chain
piler units and including a forward lifting edge disposed for elevating
cane stalks from the ground surface and into a position wherein the
stalks may be engaged by said cane conveyor teeth, during forward
movement of said cane piler assembly when said first and second chains
are driven.

Description:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates to a sugar cane piler, and more
specifically relates to a chain piler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]There are several types of pilers used in the sugar cane industry to
produce a pile of cane that can then be placed into a transport unit by a
sugar cane loader, which carries the piler and a boom supported grab
assembly. The push piler is the cheapest and simplest of the pilers and
comprises at least two forwardly facing, generally C-shaped structures
which are spaced laterally from each other so as to define a piler pocket
between them into which a loader grab tine may pass during loading cane
stalks piled by the piler. A variation of a simple push piler of this
type is a star or football piler and incorporates rotating elements along
with the push piler. An example of this can be seen in U.S. Pat. No.
4,609,318. Another piler variation is known as a chain piler. An example
of a chain piler is the Model SP 2254 manufactured by Cameco. All of
these pilers attempt to build a large bundle of cane stalks and to
dislodge soil from the piled cane stalks by rolling the stalks backwards
into the pile being formed.

[0003]The present invention concerns chain type pilers. The aforementioned
Cameco Model SP 2254 chain piler consists of a frame shaped to define an
upwardly and rearwardly extending inclined plane. A plurality of
vertically disposed, endless roller chains are spaced across, and
envelope, the frame, and are looped about respective first sprockets
carried by a horizontal head shaft located at an upper region of the
frame and respective second sprockets carried by a horizontal tail shaft
located at a lower region of the frame. The chains are each equipped with
a plurality of conveyor tines, with individual tines engaging the cane
stalks at locations adjacent the tail shaft and carrying the cane stalks
upwardly during forward movement of the piler until the individual tines
move around the head shaft. At this point, the cane stalks are disengaged
from the individual tines by forwardly curved deflector plates. As no
direct force is being exerted by the chains on the cane stalks at this
point, the deflector plates act similar to a push piler. The cane stalks
tend to snow ball at the head shaft with little tumbling back onto the
pile. If a sufficient amount of cane stalks pile up at the head shaft,
cane stalks can top the forwardly curved deflector plates and bridge the
piler pocket. This results in the pocket being obstructed, resulting in
the rear grab tines having difficulty entering the pocket. In addition,
the chain conveyor teeth become somewhat bound into the pile of cane
stalks, which can result in the possible damage to the cane stalks and/or
to the chain when the grab is closed about a load and lifted.

[0004]The problem to be addressed by the present invention is that of
providing a chain piler that does not have the operating disadvantages
attendant with the above-described prior art chain piler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005]According to the present invention there is provided an improved
chain piler structure.

[0006]An object of the invention is to provide a chain piler structure
which operates so as to prevent cane stalks from accumulating so as to
cause blockage of the piler pocket when the piler is operating to create
a pile of cane stalks.

[0007]The noted object of the invention is accomplished by a chain piler
having a frame structured so as to guide the various endless chains of
the piler so that a forward run of the chain has an upper region which
undergoes a forward component of movement whereby the engaged cane stalks
are powered backward onto the forming pile, resulting in a larger and
more uniform bundle of cane stalks. More specifically, the invention is
accomplished by providing individual chain support structures which each
support a chain so that its forward run has a forwardly curved profile.

[0008]The noted object and other objects of the invention will become
apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the
appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a right side view of a whole stalk sugar cane loader
equipped with a grab assembly and with a chain piler assembly constructed
in accordance with the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is an enlarged right side view of the piler assembly shown in
FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a front view of the piler assembly shown in FIG. 2.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a left side view of one of the rightmost piler chain
support member shown in FIG. 2, but omitting the piler chain.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a left front perspective view of the piler assembly shown
in FIG. 2, but omitting the piler chains and the right- and left-hand
push lifters.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014]Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a sugar cane loader 10
including a loader boom arrangement 30 and a chain piler arrangement 70.

[0015]The sugar cane loader includes a main frame 12 supported on front
and rear pairs of drive wheels 14 and 16, respectively, with the rear
wheels 16 being steerable, in a well known manner (not shown). Power for
driving the wheels and for operating the various hydraulic functions of
the loader 10 is supplied by an internal combustion engine 18 supported
on a rear region of the frame 12. Provided on a forward region of the
frame 12 is an operator's cab 20 containing a seat 22 located within
reach of various manually operated controls, of which only a steering
wheel 24 is shown.

[0016]The loader boom arrangement 30 is mounted at a central region of the
main frame 12, just to the rear of the cab 20. The loader boom
arrangement 30 includes an upright mast 32 mounted to a pedestal 34 for
being selectively rotated about a vertical axis, in a manner well known
in the art. An inner boom 36 has a first end pivotally coupled, by a
horizontal pivot arrangement 38, to an upper end of the mast 32 for being
swung vertically by a first extensible and retractable hydraulic boom
cylinder 40. The inner boom 36 has a second end pivotally coupled, by a
horizontal pivot arrangement 42, to a first end of an outer boom 44, and
a second extensible and retractable hydraulic boom cylinder 46 is coupled
between the inner and outer booms 36 and 44 for pivoting the outer boom
44 about the pivot arrangement 42. Pivotally mounted to a second end of
the outer boom 46, by a horizontal pivot arrangement 48, is a grab
assembly 50 including, as viewed in the drawings, a curved rear grab tine
52 and an angled, opposing front grab tine 54. A first cylinder mouting
bracket 56 is carried on the rear grab tine 52 adjacent the pivot
arrangement 48. Mounted between the cylinder mounting bracket 56 and an
second cylinder mounting bracket 57 projecting upwardly from the front
grab tine 54 at a location, approximately halfway along its length, is an
extensible and retractable hydraulic grab tine cylinder 58. The grab tine
cylinder 58 is selectively operated so as to open the grab assembly 50,
when the cylinder is retracted, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, and to
close the grab assembly 50, when the cylinder 58 is extended. The front
grab tine 54 includes opposite sides which terminate in a pair of spaced
apart tine end sections 60 located for straddling a pair of tine end
sections 62 of the rear grab tine 46 when the grab tine assembly 50 is
completely closed.

[0017]Coupled to a back side of the rear grapple tine 52 in a region which
constitutes approximately the lower third of a length dimension of the
tine is an abutment assembly including a first roller 64 extending
between an upper region of the tine end sections 62, as viewed in FIG. 1,
and a lower pair of rollers 66, mounted one to a lower region of each
tine end section 62. The first roller 64 is mounted for rotation about a
shaft 68 having its opposite ends respectively fixed to the pair of end
sections 62. The lower pair of rollers 66 are respectively mounted to a
pair of shafts 69 that are respectively fixed to rear locations of the
pair of end sections 62 of the rear grab tine 46. Thus, the first roller
64 is located to move in a path which is inward of separate paths
followed by the lower rollers 66.

[0018]Referring now also to FIGS. 2-5, it can be seen that the piler
arrangement 70 includes a frame assembly 72 including a pair of
transversely spaced arms 74 joined at their forward ends to a cross beam
76 and having rear ends pivotally mounted to a lower front region of the
main frame 12 for swinging vertically about a horizontal axis defined by
respective horizontal pivot assemblies 78. A pair of upstanding brackets
80 are respectively joined to the pair of arms 74, and coupled between
each bracket 80 and one of a pair of brackets 82 joined to the main frame
12, is an extensible and retractable, hydraulic piler lift cylinder 84.
Formed at a lower end of each of the brackets 82 is a chain mounting
bracket 86 containing a key hole shaped opening receiving a chain 88
having an end fixed to the cross beam 76 of the piler frame 72, with a
selected link of the chain being placed in the smaller section of the key
hole shaped opening, whereby the chain 88 serves as a down stop for
preventing the piler arrangement 70 from being lowered to the extent that
it digs into the soil.

[0019]The cross beam 76 of the frame assembly 72 includes a main beam
member 90, of square cross section. Fixed to and projecting vertically
upward from an upper front corner of the beam member 90 is an upper
mounting strip 92 extending an entire length of the beam. Similarly,
fixed to and projecting vertically downward from a lower front corner of
the beam 90 is a lower mounting strip 94. Each of the mounting strips 92
and 94 contains a plurality of horizontally spaced mounting holes 96.

[0020]With reference especially to FIGS. 3 and 5, it can be seen that a
middle cane stalk push lifter 98 is mounted to the upper and lower
mounting strips 92 and 94 at a location centered between right- and
left-hand cane stalk push lifters 100 and 102, respectively, mounted to
opposite ends of the strips. The spacing between the middle push lifter
98 and the end cane stalk push lifters 100 and 102 is selected to be
equal to the spacing between adjacent cane stalk rows 104, with the
lifters 98, 100, 102 being adapted for operating centrally between
adjacent cane rows 104. The push lifters 98, 100, 102 each comprise a
central, vertical plate structure 106 having a stepped, upwardly and
rearwardly inclined leading edge having an upper end joined to a rear
edge defined by a vertical edge section to which is joined a downwardly
and forwardly inclined edge section, which is, in turn, joined to a
horizontal bottom edge. Welded to the vertical edge section is a vertical
mounting plate 108 that extends beyond opposite sides of the plate
structure 106 and has a top and a bottom respectively located at a height
above the upper mounting strip 92, and at a height below the lower
mounting strip 94. The mounting plate 108 of each push lifter 98, 100 and
102 contains upper and lower sets of holes which register with selected
ones of the holes 98 provided in the mounting strips 92 and 94, with bolt
fasteners 109 being provided at the aligned holes for securing the push
lifters 98, 100 and 102 to cross beam 76. Welded to, and extending beyond
opposite sides of the inclined rear edge section, and all but a small
forward region of the horizontal bottom edge section of the respective
plate structures 106 of the push lifters 98, 100, and 102 is a plate
defining a skid shoe 110 having a forward end section that is bifurcated
and inclined upwardly and forwardly at opposite sides of the plate
structure 106. This inclined forward end section of the skid shoe 110
presents a surface which tends to prevent the push lifters from digging
into the ground. The inclined, has a covering strip assembly 114 welded
thereto. Welded to a lower inclined section of the covered leading edge
is a wear resistant rod 116 having an upper end that terminates at a
lower step of the covered leading edge.

[0021]Concerning only the middle push lifter 98, that portion of the strip
assembly 114, not engaged by the rod 116, forms a guide rail 118, which
includes upper and lower horizontal sections joined by an upwardly and
rearwardly inclined middle section. Also relating only to the middle push
lifter 98, are right- and left-hand guide rails 120 and 122 that are
joined to opposite sides of the vertical plate structure 106 of the push
lifter 98 so as to be behind the guide rail 118. The guide rails 120 and
122 each have a relatively short upper end section 124 which parallels
the middle section of the guide rail 118, a relatively short middle
section 126, which extends substantially parallel to the mounting plate
108, and a relatively long, downwardly and forwardly curved lower end
section 128 having a lower end which terminates vertically below the
lower horizontal section of the middle guide rail 118. The purpose of the
guide rails 118, 120 and 122 is to properly position the grab assembly
50, as explained in further detail below, during the operation of
grabbing a load of cane stalks that have been piled by the chain piler
assembly 70.

[0022]The inclined rods 116 and the relatively narrow strip assemblies 114
at the forward edges of the push lifters 98, 100 and 102 operate during
forward movement of the piler assembly 70 to lift sugar cane stalks,
lying in windrows on the ground, upwardly into engagement with a
plurality of chain piler units including a right-hand pair of outer and
inner chain piler units 130 and 132, and a left-hand pair of outer and
inner chain piler units 134 and 136, with the inner and outer units being
mirror images of each other. The right-hand pair of chain piler units 130
and 132 are mounted to the upper and lower mounting strips 92 and 94 so
as to be centered between the middle and right-hand push lifter units 98
and 100, and are spaced from each other so as to be centered above a
respective cane row 104. Similarly, the left-hand pair of chain piler
units 134 and 136 are mounted to the mounting strips 92 and 94 so as to
be centered between the middle and left-hand push lifters 98 and 102, and
are spaced from each other so as to be centered above another one of the
cane rows 104. A piler pocket 138 (FIG. 3) is defined between the inner
chain piler units 132 and 136 into which the rear loader grab tine 52 may
be inserted for picking up a pile of cane produced by the chain piler
assembly 70, as is described in further detail below.

[0023]Each of the chain piler units 130, 132, 134, and 136 includes a
vertical chain support structure 140 having a vertical rear edge to which
is welded a vertical mounting plate 142 containing upper and lower sets
of mounting holes 144 that are respectively brought into register with
selected ones of the mounting holes 96 provided in the upper and lower
mounting strips 92 and 94. Bolt fasteners (not shown, but like the
fasteners 109) are inserted through the registered holes so as to secure
the chain piler units to the cross beam 76. The chain support structures
140 each include a horizontal bottom edge 146 which terminates at a
height spaced above the ground, which is slightly less that the height at
which upper ends of the rods 116 of the push lifters 98, 100 and 102
terminate.

[0024]Extending between, and having opposite ends secured to an upper
region of the chain support structures 140 of each of the right-hand pair
of piler chain units 130 and 132 is a telescopic cross brace 148 which is
fixed at an adjusted length by a plurality of fasteners 149 inserted
through aligned holes provided in the telescoping sections of the brace
148. A similar brace 148 is provided between an upper region of each of
the chain support structures 140 of the left-hand pair of piler chain
units 134 and 136. The chain support structures 140 each include a
forwardly opening, generally C-shaped from surface 150 which extends
between a forawrd end of the bottom edge 146 and a front of a curved top
edge 152, the latter having a rear end which terminates at, and is joined
to an upper end of, a rear edge 154 which inclines downwardly to an upper
end of the vertical mounting plate 142.

[0025]Fixed to an upper region of the inner surface of the chain support
structure 140 of each of the piler chain units 130 and 134, and to an
upper region of the outer surface of the chain support structure 140 of
each of the piler chain units 132 and 136, are respective head shaft
guide assemblies 156, which each include a pair of angle members 158
arranged parallel to each other and having first sides respectively fixed
at opposite sides of an upwardly and forwardly inclined oval opening 160.
Vertical sides of the angle members 158 each have a guide bar 162 fixed
along its length. A hydraulic motor 164 includes an output shaft (not
visible) defining a head shaft which projects through the opening 160 and
mounted to the head shaft, so as to be on an opposite side of the chain
support structure 140 from the motor 164, is a chain sprocket 166. A
guide plate assembly 168 is fixed to the motor 164 and is mounted for
sliding along the guide bars 162. An extensible and retractable hydraulic
actuator 170 has a rod end coupled to a bracket carried by the motor 164
and a cylinder coupled to a bracket fixed to the chain support structure
140, with the actuator 170 being operable for selectively effecting up or
down movement of the motor 164, and, hence, the head shaft, within the
oval opening 160, for a purpose explained below.

[0026]Located in a lower region of each of the chain support structures
140 of the chain piler units 130, 132, 134 and 136 so as to be
substantially vertically below the oval openings 160, are respective
horizontally aligned openings. Received in the openings provided in the
right-hand pair of chain piler units 130 and 132 is a firs shaft 172, and
received in the openings provided in the left-hand pair of chain piler
units 134 and 136 is a second shaft 172. The shafts 172 are supported in
bearing assemblies 174 fixed to confronting surfaces of the support
structures 140 of the piler units 130 and 132, and in confronting
surfaces of the support structures 140 of the piler units 134 and 136.
Mounted to opposite ends of the shafts 172 are respective chain sprockets
176. An endless roller chain 178 (see FIG. 2) is trained about each set
of sprockets 166 and 176, and fixed to an outer side of each of the
chains 178, relative to the support structure 140, by link pins passing
through the chain rollers, is a plurality of triangular, flat cane
conveyor teeth 180. The path traveled by the chain 178 is determined by a
chain guide arrangement 182 including an outer, generally kidney-shaped
guide member 184 having upper and lower ends extending about the
sprockets 166 and 176. A forward side of the guide member 184 is spaced
behind and extends substantially parallel to the front edge 150 of the
chain support structure 140. The height of the guide member 184 from the
chain support structure 140 is such that the conveyor teeth 180 project
beyond the guide member 184, with the teeth 180 being sufficiently long
that as they travel adjacent a forward side of the guide member 184 they
project forwardly beyond the front edge 150 of the chain support
structure 140. Each chain guide arrangement 182 further includes front
and rear guide members 186 and 188 which extend between the sprockets 166
and 177 and are disposed substantially parallel to each other and to a
forward side of the outer guide member 184.

[0027]While the forwardly curved leading edge of the support structures
140 and the corresponding shape of the chain guide assembly are the
preferred shapes, other shapes would also result in beneficial operation.
For example, the support structures 140 could have a leading edge that
defines a forwardly opening V with the chain associated with the each
support structure being guided so that its forward run parallels the
upper side of the V so that during operation the conveyor teeth would
have a forward component of movement that would cause the cane stalks to
be rolled forward onto the pile being formed.

[0028]The operation of the chain piler assembly 70 is briefly as follows.
Once the sugar cane loader 10 is driven to a sugar cane field where the
cane has been cut and windrowed so as to extend generally crosswise to
the cane rows 104. With the size of loader 10 and chain piler assembly 70
being that shown in the drawings, the loader 10 is oriented so that the
middle push lifter 98 is centered between a first pair of adjacent rows
104, while the right- and left-hand push lifters 100 and 102,
respectively, are each centered between a different one of the first pair
of rows 104 and the next adjacent row 104. The chain piler assembly 70 is
lowered until the skid shoes 110 come into ground contact. The motors 164
are then actuated to cause the chains 178 to be driven counterclockwise,
as viewed in FIG. 2. The loader 10 is then driven forward with the push
lifters 98, 100, and 102 causing the windrowed cane to be elevated into
contact with the curved front edges 150 of the chain support structures
140 of the chain piler units 130, 132, 134, and 136. Once the cane stalks
are elevated to the extent that they are within reach of the conveyor
teeth 180, the stalks are carried upward, then rolled forward onto the
building pile of cane stalks, as shown at 190 in FIG. 1. This action of
the piler chains 178 is important in that it results in more soil being
dislodged from the cane stalks than is possible with a conventional push
piler and avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art chain
piler wherein the chains are disposed on a rearward incline and have no
forward component of movement.

[0029]Once a cane stalk pile 190 is formed, it may be loaded onto an
adjacent container of a transport trailer, or the like, by manipulating
the grab assembly 50 so that, with the grab tines 52 and 54 opened, the
rear grab tine 52 is lowered into the piler pocket 138 (see FIG. 3). The
grab tines 52 and 54 and then closed about the piled cane, with the
encircled load of cane then being lifted and deposited into the transport
container. The piling and loading functions are then repeated.

[0030]Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent
that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope
of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.